Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter
by Dozo14
Summary: Chapter 2 in the Chosen series. While Billie remembers her past and wonders what to tell her new friends, Paige asks her and the others to help track down the young firestarter Tyler, who's powers have suddenly resurfaced.
1. Chapter 1

Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter

Xxx

Seventeen year old high school student Tyler Michaels sat in the back of the class, staring out the window with a vacant look in his bright blue eyes. His history teacher was talking about the Salem witch trials, boring his entire class to death. His teacher was talking about how misguided the trials were, as witches clearly didn't exist. The spiky blonde haired teenager knew better, however, he knew witches were very real, just like teenagers that can create fire with their minds. Tyler rubbed his hands over his temples, as he'd been having a headache toe entire day, and hoped this day would be over soon.

His prayers were answered when the bell rang and everyone got in a hurry to leave the classroom. Tyler backed up his stuff and followed them. Just one more class to go and then he'd be free. All he had to do was get a book out his locker first. As he walked to his locker he saw a group of people coming his way. They were all members of the football club, led by their quarterback. Eric Tillman was basically the terror of the school, since he was the biggest bully around and got away with it due to being the star of the football team. He was also a very large and muscular guy, about twice Tyler's size. Tyler knew this would be trouble, since Eric seemed to be out to get him ever since he first got to this school. He had no idea why, but somehow he always ended up being the target of his bullying.

As Tyler passed the football players, he was suddenly pushed and fell against the lockers. He was already in a bad temper due to his headache, and this wasn't helping.

"Watch where you're going, loser." Eric Tillman said while his goons laughed. "These are my hallways."

"Just get lost, Tillman." Tyler replied as he shrugged it off and tried to walk away, but before he could Eric blocked his path.

"What did you say?" Eric asked.

"I said back off!" Tyler said. "What the hell is your problem?"

Meanwhile the others kids in the hallway all stopped to look at what was going on. In a matter of a few minutes, it seemed like the entire school had gathered in that hallway. Fights were always a big crowd gatherer.

"You're my problem." Eric replied. "Losers like you walking around my hallways."

"Like you're better than me, you might be a big football star, at least I'm not flunking out of every class I take." Tyler said.

"Well, at least I'm not a total reject." Eric said mockingly.

"What?" Tyler asked angrily.

"Oh yeah, I knew all about you." Eric said. "Last week when I was in the principal's office I got a look at your file. You're a foster kid and you've been in like five different homes the last few years. Looks like nobody wants you, not even your real parents."

"Shut up." Tyler said angrily. He couldn't believe that a dumbass like Eric actually got access to his personal files. Meanwhile his headache was increasing as well.

"Truth sucks, doesn't it, reject." Eric mocked him. "You've been kicking out of every home and school you've ever been in. Why don't you just run home and cry to mommy? Oh right, she didn't want you!"

"Screw you!" Tyler shouted and swung his fist at Eric.

Eric stumbled back and reached for his nose, Tyler had actually managed to give him a bloody nose, which made him feel a little better, but also meant he was in serious trouble now. Nobody ever stood up to Eric Tillman and embarrassing him in front of his goons meant the jock would probably kill him. The few people that laughed and cheered were quickly shut up by the angry glares from Eric.

"Oh, you are so going to pay for that." Eric said furiously.

Eric grabbed Tyler by his shirt and slammed him against the lockers behind him. Tyler banged his head against the locker and felt his headache reaching a boiling point. Meanwhile Eric raised his fist, preparing to hit him.

"Nobody punches me and gets away with it." Eric said. "I'm going to kill you for this."

Before Eric could hit him, Tyler suddenly cried out in pain as his head felt like it was ready to explode. He reached for his head and suddenly the sleeve of Eric's letterman jacket caught on fire. The large jock screamed like a little girl when he noticed the fire and hassled to get the jacket off. When he threw it on the floor, the entire jacket went up in a fiery blaze.

Tyler just stood there stunned. He now knew why he had been having those headaches. They were the same ones he used to get as a kid when his powers manifested. This could only mean that his firestarting powers were back somehow. It also meant he had just outed himself as a freak to the entire school.

"Y-You're some kind of freak!" Eric said as he stumbled back. "Like a mutant from those movies or something."

Tyler didn't know what to do or say, everyone was staring at him. Meanwhile his headache was completely gone, which meant that it was caused by his reemerging powers. Now that they were free, it felt like a weight was lifted. The only problem was that he didn't want his powers back. Being in foster care meant he was always an outsider. He didn't need to be a freak as well.

"Should be call the police or something?" A girl in the crowd whispered.

Tyler realized he needed to get out of there or he'd be in a lot more trouble. He took a step forward and everyone else took a step back. They were all scared of him and were looking at him as if he was some kind of monster. He needed to get out of there, so he picked up his bag and started walking toward the door. Everyone went out of his way and as soon as his path was clear, Tyler started to run for it.

xxx

In a small, dark cave in the underworld, a group of demonic Power Brokers were gathered around a stone table. On the table were dozens of glowing white orbs, which each represented a different power the demons had stolen. In the underworld, powers were the most valuable currency around, since everything revolved around power. Only the most powerful demons made it big in the underworld, which is why now that there was a void in the demonic hierarchy, business was going great for the Power Brokers.

While the demons were caught up in trading among themselves, another demon joined them by teleporting in through smoke. He had the appearance of a young man in a black suit with short brown hair. When he cleared his throat, the others turned to him and quickly stopped.

"Arcon, back so soon?" One of the others asked surprised.

"I caught you off guard, I see." Arcon said. "Trading powers amongst yourselves?"

"Of course not." The other demon said. "You're the boss, after all, we would never.."

"Save it." Arcon interrupted him. "We got bigger issues to discuss now. My sources just detected a firestarter, a powerful one. And as you all know, firestarter are incredible rare and coveted, meaning I want his powers."

"But I thought firestarters were off limits." The other demon noted.

"They used to be." Arcon said. "In case you haven't noticed, a lot has changed. We no longer have to bow down to the old generation. They're dead after all. So go out and bring me this firestarter, dead or alive, whatever is easier."

"Of course." The other demon said while bowing.

All the Broker demons around the table quickly disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving Arcon alone in the cavern. The well-dressed demon walked around the table and picked up one of the glowing orbs on the table. He then crushed it with his fist and absorbed the power inside. After the power was fully absorbed, Arcon's breath suddenly turned to ice.

Xxx

Billie Jenkins stepped out of the taxi wearing a dark purple top and black jeans. In her hand she held two yellow roses. After paying the driver, she closed the door and looked around, she was standing in front of a cemetery. She was actually supposed to meet Duncan and Violet at the library at school, but when she checked her calendar this morning, she made a saddening discovery.

Today was the anniversary of her parent's death at the hands of demons, which happened two years ago. It wasn't until later that Billie discovered that the Triad was involved as well, but she still refused to believe Christy was involved. Despite the fact she was working for the Triad all along, she had faith that her sister was at least still human. She would never have agreed to that.

Billie walked down the cemetery path until she reached her parent's graves. She kneeled down in front of the headstone and placed the yellow roses on it.

"Hi, mom and dad." Billie said. "I brought roses, mom, yellow, your favorite."

Of course there was no response. Once Billie had considered summoning their spirits to actually be able to talk to them, but she knew there was nothing to say. She knew they loved her and they knew that she loved them as well. She hoped Christy was with them as well, now that she was finally at peace as well.

Billie continued talking to the graves, because she knew her parents were listening. She talked about everything that had happened recently, with her new friends and destiny and knew her parents would be proud of her. After a while, Billie heard the familiar sound of orbs descending behind her. She turned around excepting to see Paige, but it was Mikelle instead. It would probably take a while to get used to having a new whitelighter.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" Mikelle asked.

"No, I was just getting ready to leave." Billie said as she got up.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your parents." Mikelle said. "And your sister."

"Thank you." Billie said.

As Billie looked at Mikelle she suddenly came to a realization. Mikelle had been there, she had actually met Christy. While Christy was trying to convince her that the sisters had lost their sense and good and became selfish, Mikelle had been Paige's charge. She was there in the manor when Billie entered the sister's dreams to see their true natures and had run off, which was when the darklighter that was chasing her had killed her.

"Oh my god." Billie shocked. "You were there."

"Yeah, I was." Mikelle replied.

"It was my fault, mine and Christy's." Billie said. "Because of us, the darklighter got you."

"I know." Mikelle said.

"I'm so sorry." Billie said. "If I had known…"

"You would have saved my life?" Mikelle asked casually. "Look Billie, what happened back then, I don't blame you, or your sister. I guess it was destined to happen."

"But you were killed." Billie said troubled.

"Yes, but I became a whitelighter." Mikelle said. "My life was a mess, and now I have a purpose. That is why I feel it was destined to happen. If not that day, then maybe the next."

"How can you talk about it so easily?" Billie asked.

"I moved on and accepted my fate." Mikelle simply said. "I don't blame you."

"But I blame myself." Billie said. "For everything that happened. I was manipulated so easily and a lot of people got hurt because of it. And everyone has forgiven me so easily. Sometimes I still feel like I don't deserve to be let off so easily."

"Would you rather have everyone hate you?" Mikelle asked.

"No, I mean. I don't know." Billie said confused. "Sometimes, I guess."

"Well, you're lucky not everyone is as hard on you as you're being on yourself." Mikelle replied.

Billie knew Mikelle had a point. Despite everything that had happened, everyone had forgiven her. Some days she even thought she might be able to forgive herself, but she still had a long way to go before she could do that. By becoming a witch again, she felt like she had taken a step in that direction.

"You're right." Billie said after a while. "You're a pretty good whitelighter."

"Don't act to surprised." Mikelle said. "I might act like I don't care half the time, but I do actually love my job. And I care about my charges. Just don't tell anyone."

"Alright. I promise." Billie said with a smile.

"Look, about what happened back then." Mikelle started. "I know it's water under the bridge, but I do think that you need to tell Duncan and Violet. Your destinies are intertwined now and they need to be able to trust you, and you need to be able to trust them with something like this as well."

Billie thought about what Mikelle said. In fact, she had been thinking about the same thing as well. If this new destiny was going to work, they all needed to trust in each other, which meant she would have to be honest with her new friends about her past, no matter how painful the past was.

"I know you're right." Billie said. "But it's a big step."

"I know, and you should do it in your own time." Mikelle replied. "I'm just saying that it's a step forward."

"Okay, I'll think about it." Billie said. "Now I need to get going. I promised Duncan I'd help him teach Violet about magic."

"That sounds like fun." Mikelle remarked sarcastically.

"I know, I remember the boring history lessons Leo gave me." Billie said. "I hope that by the time I get there, they'll have moved on to the fun part."

Suddenly a familiar jingle chimed through the air and Mikelle looked up at the sky. Billie knew it meant the Elders were calling her for something.

"I have to go." Mikelle said.

"Okay, see you later." Billie said.

Mikelle looked around to make sure nobody was watching and then dissolved into a column of orbs, which rose up to the heavens. Billie sighed and turned to her parents' grave. She said her goodbyes and headed toward the exit of the cemetery. While walking she thought about what she had discussed with Mikelle. She wanted to be honest with Duncan and Violet, but a part of her was scared about how they would react. She wasn't ready yet, maybe the right time to tell them would rise on its own. As she left the cemetery, Billie spotted a taxi and called it over.

xxx

When Tyler arrived at his foster home, he realized he had run the entire way and was pretty exhausted. He headed into the house and almost immediately tripped over a skateboard that was blocking the door. The foster parents he was staying with right now had five kids running around. Tyler himself was the oldest and the youngest was about three years old. Having so many kids around meant that Tyler was pretty much being ignored and that he could do whatever he wanted, as long as it didn't cause his foster parents trouble.

Tyler headed into the kitchen to get a drink and found his foster mother, Margret, sitting at the table. As usual she had already poured herself a drink this early in the afternoon and was still dressed in a fluffy worn-down bathrobe.

"What are you doing home so early?" Margret asked in her usual cranky tone.

"Teacher was sick." Tyler said as he got a drink from the fridge.

"Oh. So it has nothing to do with the call I just got from your principal?" Margret asked.

"What? What did they say?" Tyler asked as he spun around.

"They said you started a fight and burned someone's jacket." Margret said. "Care to explain?"

"Not really." Tyler replied.

"Look, kid." Margret said with pointed finger. "I don't need this kind of trouble. The deal was you'd stay out of trouble and we'd leave you alone."

"So leave me alone." Tyler replied annoyed.

"I'm warning you." Margret said. "One more incident like this and you're out of here."

"Whatever, I'm going to my room." Tyler said.

Tyler slammed the fridge door shut and headed toward the basement, which is where his room was located. Having to share a house with so many kids, Tyler actually preferred the basement over a room upstairs. It was a lot bigger than the room upstairs and a lot less noisy. The only downfall was he had to share a room with the washing machine. When he got downstairs he threw his bag on the floor and dropped down on the bed. He needed to figure out what to do, since there was no way he could go back to that school.

Why had his powers returned now? They were supposed to bound indefinitely, unless he chose to get them back, which was never. Fitting is was hard enough without being a freak. This was not supposed to happen. The plan was simple, finish the last year of high school, turn eighteen so he'd be free from the foster program and then start a new life. Having the power to set things on fire with his mind, was not a part of that plan.

He needed his powers bound again, and he only knew three people who were able to help him with that. They had done it once before after all. The only problem was that he didn't want to go to the sisters for help. He thought they were his friends, but they had pretty much abandoned him after they had helped him the first time. They had promised to keep in touch, but once he was back in the system, he never saw them again.

Suddenly a sharp pain ran through Tyler's head and he grabbed his head in pain. Before he could get it under control, a fire suddenly erupted in the dirty laundry basket in front of the washing machine. Tyler quickly jumped up and grabbed a blanket to try and dampen the fire. When it seemed like he was about to get the fire under control, the door to the basement suddenly flew open and his foster mother appeared.

"What the hell are you doing?" She called out hysterically. "Are you trying to burn my house down?"

"No, it was an accident." Tyler replied in a panic.

"I don't care!" Margret screamed. "I am calling the police. You are out of here!"

Before Tyler could say anything else, she slammed the door shut. He realized he was in real trouble now. If the cops got involved, he wouldn't end up back in the system, he'd be sent to juvie. There was no way that was going to happen. Tyler quickly put out the fire and emptied his schoolbag on the bed. He then filled it with all the clean clothes he could find and the few possessions he had. Luckily there was door in the basement that led to the backyard. He headed out the door and took one last look back. Right now, his foster house was another place he could never return to.

xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter 2

Xxx

A blue shine enlightened in the apartment as Paige Matthews appeared in a swirl of orbs. The whitelighter witch just came from visiting a charge in Mexico and was holding a large sombrero she had received as a gift for saving her young charge from a vengeful ancestral spirit. Even though the thing was ugly and huge, she figured it was impolite to refuse. Paige threw the sombrero on the couch, Henry would probably like it.

After a quick shower and a change, Paige went in the kitchen and found a note from Henry, saying he'd be late tonight. It was actually a relief that he wasn't there. Last night they had visited Phoebe and Coop and their little baby girl Prue. Even though Paige loved her little niece, she hated the trouble she had brought her. While in bed last night, the whole baby argument they had been having for weeks had started again. Henry wanted babies, a lot of them and as soon as possible while Paige just wasn't ready yet. Just because her sisters all had kids now, didn't mean she had to get knocked up as well. She was still young and had enough stuff going on in her life with being a witch and a whitelighter on top of being a good wife. The argument eventually got pretty heated and the next morning Henry had gone to work before Paige woke up.

Paige made herself an early dinner and curled up on the couch with the TV on. International orbing always made her hungry. Just as she was about to start eating, the door opened and Henry came in.

"Hey, I thought you'd be late." Paige said.

"Yeah, change of plans." Her husband replied. "I was supposed to catch up on my paperwork but all the computers crashed because of a bug."

"Oh." Paige said.

Henry took off his jacket and walked over to the couch. He then noticed the giant sombrero and picked it up with a smile.

"Awesome. Where did you get this?" Henry asked.

"Mexico. It was a gift." Paige replied. "I figured you'd like it."

Henry looked at the sombrero for a while and then put it down on the table. Meanwhile Paige turned down the volume of the TV, figuring that another talk was coming.

"Look Paige, I've been thinking." Henry said as he sat down. "About the whole kids' thing, I realized that I might be pushing you a little."

"You think?" Paige remarked.

"Okay, so I know I've been pushing you." Henry replied. "But it's just that I always wanted kids, and seeing little Prue just makes me want one of our own. But I get that you aren't ready yet."

"It's not that I don't want kids." Paige explained. "I just want to wait a few more years."

"I understand." Henry said a little disappointed. "And I'll promise to try and not push you into it anymore. It will happen when it happens."

"I'm sorry." Paige said.

"No, don't be, it's okay." Henry said. "I guess it's just growing up in foster care, it always made me want to have a family of my own one day, a real family."

"But we have a family, we've got each other." Paige replied. "And my sisters and our little nephews and niece. For me that's enough right now."

"I know." Henry said. "You're right. I'm going to take a quick shower."

"I'll make you some dinner." Paige said.

Henry got up and headed toward the bathroom. Meanwhile Paige put away her own plate of dinner and went into the kitchen to make some more for Henry. She felt a combination of relief and guilt, relief that the kids' discussion was closed for now and guilt for knowing how much Henry wanted them while she wasn't there yet.

Suddenly, a familiar jingle filled the room and a column of orbs descended down from the ceiling. Before Paige, the elder Sandra appeared.

"Sandra, what are you doing here?" Paige asked surprised.

"I'm sorry to intrude like this, Paige, but I needed to speak with you as quickly as possible." Sandra said.

"Is something wrong?" Paige asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Sandra said. "We just received word that the young firestarter you helped a couple of years ago, has suddenly regained his powers."

"Tyler?" Paige asked. "But how?"

"We don't know." Sandra said. "Either his powers evolved to the point they became too strong to be bound, or something else it at work here. But right now, that's not the main problem, since we believe that he is being chased by demonic power brokers."

"Is he in danger?" Paige asked.

"They haven't found him yet, I hope you will be able to find him first, as you know him best." Sandra said.

"But that was years ago." Paige said, realizing she hadn't seen Tyler in years. He was a teenager now, almost an adult. Last time she saw him he was just an eleven year old kid that liked videogames.

"You are still our best hope, the only contact he has had with the magical world." Sandra said.

"What about Billie and the others?" Paige asked. "Can't they help?"

"We send word to their whitelighter." Sandra said. "You may need all the help you can get. The power broker that is after Tyler is a big threat that needs to be eliminated. His name is Arcon and he has supplied countless of demons with power."

"And if Tyler's powers are really strong enough to break through a binding potion, this Arcon would certainly want that kind of power." Paige concluded.

"Paige, who are you talking to?" Henry's voice sounded from the bedroom.

Paige turned around and saw Henry coming into the living room, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Henry froze as he noticed Sandra standing in his kitchen in her white and golden robes and recognized her as an Elder. Meanwhile Sandra was visibly flustered by seeing Paige's half naked and still dripping wet husband and quickly looked away. Paige figured the Elders were probably a bunch of prudes that didn't get a lot of action in the Heavens and suppressed an amused chuckle.

"Uh, sorry." Henry said a little embarrassed.

"That's okay. I need to get going." Sandra said with a blush. "I trust you will be able to handle this, Paige?"

"Of course." Paige said.

Without saying another word and a last quick glance at Henry, Sandra dissolved in a column of orbs and went back to the Heavens.

"I thought you were on the phone." Henry said. "Since when do Elders make house calls?"

"I don't think they'll do that again anytime soon." Paige said amused. "But I need to get going."

"A charge is trouble?" Henry asked.

"More like an old friend." Paige said. "Dinner is almost ready, I don't know when I'll be back."

"Be careful, okay?" Henry said worried.

"You know me, I'm always careful." Paige said.

Paige walked over to Henry as gave him a quick kiss before disappearing in a swirl of orbs, leaving her towel-clad husband alone in their apartment with a dinner that was starting to burn.

xxx

After walking across the city, Tyler finally stopped at a convenience store to get something to eat and drink with the little money he had on him. Just when he got to the register, the clerk walked away to help an elderly lady grab something from a shelve. Tyler looked at the register and thought about how tempting it was to grab a couple of bucks right now. He was homeless and Margret had probably already sent the police after him. Having a little extra money to get out of town would be great. The old lady was keeping the clerk busy, so it was easy. All he had to do was reach out and take it, but as he thought about it, he realized he couldn't. It just wasn't him.

Tyler waited for the clerk to get back and paid for the stuff he got. When he left the store he saw a cop car coming closer in the distance, so he quickly went in the alley next to the store. When the cop car passed, he relaxed and sat down on a dumpster to eat his sandwich. He needed to figure out what to do. He was still a minor so if he got caught, he'd either be sent to juvie or forced back in the system. If only he was a year older, then he'd be an adult.

Suddenly three columns of black smoke rose up from the ground and took the shape of three men. Tyler instantly recognized them as demons and jumped up. The demons circled around him until he was surrounded without a chance of escape.

"You're the firestarter?" one of the demons asked.

"What do you want?" Tyler asked.

"The boss wants your power, so you can come willingly or not." The demon replied.

"You'll kill me." Tyler said.

"Probably, extracting your power with you alive will be very painful. You're better off dead." The demon said.

Tyler knew he had to get out of there, but that was not going to happen without a fight. If only he could control his powers long enough to get away, but they seemed even more uncontrollable then when he was eleven. They were more powerful now, too powerful to control.

"Look kid, just save us the trouble and come with us." The demon said. "We tracked you too your school and you're house. Nobody wants you there, they all think you're a freak. What's there to live for anyway?"

"I'm not a freak!" Tyler said angrily and suddenly his headache returned.

The dumpster next to the talking demon suddenly burst out in flames and the demon quickly ducked. On the other side of the alley a pile of garbage bags also went up in flames. One of the other demons formed an energy ball, but before he could throw it Tyler redirected his anger at him and he was vanquished in a fiery explosion.

Tyler's headache disappeared as abruptly as it had come up and he realized it was because he had used his powers. Tyler quickly looked around and saw the remaining two demons fighting off the flames. Meanwhile people from the street had run in the alley to see what the fire was about. The young firestarter used the confusion to disappear in the crowd and get away from the demons.

Xxx

When Billie arrived at the college library, she found Duncan and Violet sitting in the back, by the history books that nobody ever rented. Her fellow witches were apparently in discussion and hadn't noticed Billie yet. As she got closer, Billie noticed a couple of magical books lying on the table. Since Violet was new to the magical world, Mikelle and Duncan had decided that she needed a quick course on witchcraft.

"So why can't I use a spell to like, make some guy like me or something?" Violet asked.

"Because that's personal gain, not to mention wrong." Duncan replied. "You can't use magic to force something like that."

"So what's the deal with this personal gain?" Violet asked. "What's the point of being a witch if you can't snap your fingers and make something happen?"

"You're just not supposed to." Duncan said. "It's messing with the Grand Design."

"What's the Grand Design? Who's making up these rules?" Violet asked.

Duncan sighed and looked up, noticing Billie for the first time.

"Finally." Duncan said. "Where have you been? Teaching this stuff is not as easy as it seems."

"Sorry, I had to run a few errands." Billie lied as she sat down.

When Billie looked at her new friends, she knew she'd have to tell them about her past and Christy soon, but the memories were still fresh and painful. She was also afraid of how they would react to the fact she used to unknowingly worked for evil.

"How did you learn all of this, Billie?" Violet asked.

"For a while I had to figure it out for myself, but then I met the Charmed Ones." Billie explained. "They basically taught me everything they knew."

"Just like that?" Duncan asked.

"Well, I met them right after they had faked their own deaths to life a demon-free life." Billie said. "We made deal, they taught me, and I hunted the demons for them."

"But they didn't fake it for long." Duncan said. "I remember hearing when they died, but a few months later they were back. "

Billie had forgotten how involved Duncan was in the magical world. He came from a powerful magical family and was a student Magic School who graduated right before the school was overrun by demons. She suddenly wondered how much he really knew about what happened in the Ultimate Battle, she was sure he must have heard about it. Did he already know the truth about her?

"So what do you know about the Ultimate Battle?" Billie asked as nonchalant as possible.

"Well, you probably know more than me, you were there right?" Duncan asked, causing Billie to freak out.

"The ultimate battle?" Violet asked. "Sounds like a bad reality show."

"It was only the biggest fight between good and evil of the century." Duncan said slightly annoyed. "The Charmed Ones fulfilled their destiny and vanquished the Triad, that's why they're retired now and we're taking over."

Billie let out a sigh of relief, so apparently the magical community thought the Ultimate battle took place between the sisters and the Triad. Only the sisters, the Elders and the Angels of Destiny knew the real truth. And Mikelle of course, as her whitelighter. It didn't change the fact however, that she needed to tell them the real truth at some point.

"So what do you know about it, Billie?" Duncan asked. "You are friends with the sisters, almost nothing is known about what really happened."

"That's really all that happened." Billie lied. "The sisters fought the Triad in Magic School and vanquished them for good. All I did was watch after Piper's kids, you know, keep them safe in case something happened. That's all."

"Okay, if that's all." Duncan said a little suspiciously. "We should get back to teaching Vi about magic."

"Do we have to? It's really boring, no offense." Violet replied.

"We'll get to the fun parts soon enough." Billie assured her.

"Why do I even bother?" Duncan called out.

While Duncan continued to teach Violet about the basic rules and things about magic, Billie couldn't stop her mind from wandering. She kept thinking about her parents and Christy and couldn't believe it was two years already. She hadn't even realized the first anniversary, so why did this one feel so important all of the sudden? She wondered if it had something to do with keeping it all a secret from her friends. Maybe that was the reason it all suddenly felt so much harder.

Billie was suddenly snapped back to reality when her cell phone rang. She quickly got her bag and saw Paige was calling her, so she immediately answered.

"Paige, hi." Billie said. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, Billie. But we need to talk." Paige said on the other end of the line. "I just orbed to your dorm but I couldn't find you."

"Is something wrong?" Billie asked concerned. "Something with Piper or Phoebe?"

"No, they're fine, but it's an emergency." Paige said. "Tyler is in trouble, the young firestarter we helped a couple of years ago."

"I remember, you told me about him." Billie replied.

"Right, well his powers suddenly reemerged and now he is being hunted by demons." Paige explained. "I need your help to find him before he gets hurt, all your help."

"Of course." Billie said. "Stay there, we'll come to you."

Billie hung up and put away her phone. Meanwhile Duncan and Violet were staring at her with confused looks.

"That was Paige, she needs our help." Billie said.

"Okay, let's go." Duncan said.

"Yeah, anything to escape this boring magical class." Violet added.

The three of them quickly packed up their stuff and headed to Billie's dorm room. While hurrying over campus grounds, Billie couldn't help but wonder if this was meant to be. Just when she was thinking about her parents and Christy, a firestarter gets in trouble. A firestarter just like Christy was, it couldn't be a coincidence. Either this was a part of their Chosen destiny, or fate had a weird sense of humor. Or maybe it was fate's way of saying that she couldn't hide her past any longer.

Xxx

After they had put out the fires in alley, the firemen closed the entire alley off with yellow tape. They must have realized these fires weren't accidental and didn't want the scene to be contaminated before arson could be investigated. Fortunately, a bit of yellow tape couldn't stop Arcon from appearing in the alley in a column of smoke. The demonic power broker made sure that everyone was gone before he stepped from the shadows and met his employees that had failed to get him the firestarter. Only two of them were left, which meant the third member of this search party must have been vanquished.

"What happened?" Arcon asked impatiently.

"He caught us by surprised." One of the two demons said. "His powers are strong and the fire spread too quickly. The kid vanquished my brother."

"I told you to approach him carefully." Arcon replied. "Do you at least have a way to track him, or have any idea where he went?"

"He got away in the smoke and confusion." The demon replied.

"I see." Arcon said.

Before the other two demons could react, Arcon raised his hand at them and before they knew, both of them were frozen in a layer of ice. Arcon then stepped forward and gave them a little push. The frozen demons fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter 3

Xxx

As night starting to fall over San Francisco, Tyler walked down a dark street while trying to decide what to do. After the demons had attacked him in the alley, he had tried to go to the bus station, trying to get out of town. He had no idea where he wanted to go, he just wanted to get away. His plans were soon interrupted when he ran into a couple of cops at the station. His foster mother had surely called the police and given them his description. If he got caught now, he would surely end up in juvenile detention. Right now, it felt like the whole world was against him.

When Tyler stopped for a second, he was surprised to find himself in a very familiar street, Prescott street. A few houses down stood the manor, just as he remembered it. There were lights burning, so he knew that Piper was probably home with her family.

Tyler wondered if he should ring the doorbell. Piper had been his friend and has saved him from Ludlow, but things were different now. They had promised to keep it touch, but after he had been adopted by the Michaels, he had never seen them again. The adoption didn't work out, the Michaels were a couple that had trouble getting pregnant, which was why they adopted instead. But when Mrs. Michaels suddenly found herself pregnant after all, Tyler had suddenly become a burden. Why would they keep a foster kid when they were getting one of their own after all? Within a month after finding out they were having a baby, Tyler was back in the system.

Part of him wanted nothing more than to run to the manor, but now Piper and her sisters reminded him of the Michaels. They cared about him, until they started to have kids of her own and just forgot.

Suddenly, three demons appeared in front of the manor in pillars of smoke. Tyler quickly ducked behind a car, watching and listening.

"Arcon said the firestarter might show up here." One of the demons said. "Spread out and hide, don't let the Charmed Ones see you."

Arcon, so that was the name of the demon that was after him this time. Even if Tyler had wanted to go to Piper, the opportunity was now gone. There was no way he'd be able to reach her without the demons getting him first. While the demons started spreading out, Tyler quickly sneaked away.

Xxx

Paige waited in Billie's dorm room for Billie and the others. In the meantime she had called both Piper and Phoebe to keep an eye out in case Tyler showed up at their places. Unfortunately, neither of them had heard of him and Paige started to wonder why. He knew they were always there for him in case of trouble, right? Even though she hadn't seen him in years, she hoped he still knew that.

At that moment the door of Billie's dorm room opened and Billie and her friends Violet and Duncan came in. A second later, a column of orbs descended down from the ceiling and Mikelle appeared as well.

"Have you heard anything?" Billie asked.

"No, what about you?" Paige added as she turned to Mikelle.

"We just received word of magical activity in an alley downtown." Mikelle said. "Apparently a couple of demons were vanquished there."

"Was it Tyler?" Paige asked.

"The Elders aren't sure." Mikelle said shrugging.

"Okay, can someone inform the newbie's? Billie told us a little on the way, but we still have no idea what we're dealing with." Violet asked, pointing to herself and Duncan.

"Of course, sorry." Paige said. "Tyler is a friend of mine, he's seventeen and a firestarter. A couple of years ago we bound his powers, but now they have resurfaced and now demons want him for his powers."

"What's a firestarter?" Violet asked.

"A rare magical being that can create fire with their minds. They are extremely popular in the underworld because of their powers." Duncan replied.

"So they're evil?" Violet asked.

"No, but if they fall in the wrong hands they could be turned evil, or worse." Paige said. "That's part of the reason Tyler wanted his powers bound."

"But if his powers were bound, how can they return just like that?" Duncan asked. "That's nearly impossible."

"The Elders now believe that they had just grown too powerful to be contained." Mikelle explained. "They believe he might be just as powerful as…"

"As who?" Violet asked.

"That's not important right now." Billie said quickly, giving Mikelle a pleading look not to say anything. "The important thing right now is to find Tyler."

"Right." Mikelle said.

"And what about this demon that's after him?" Violet asked.

"His name is Arcon. He's a power broker that rose to power recently." Mikelle said. "He now controls most of the demonic market. The Elders want him eliminated if possible, but Tyler is the main concern right now."

"Okay, I'm confused again." Violet said. "What's a power broker?"

"Power brokers are demons that deal in magical powers." Duncan said. "In the underworld, powers are really important. They can be stolen and traded like currency and are used to gain more power. If this Arcon is the main guy down there, he probably supplies hundreds of demons with powers."

"That sounds bad." Violet said, nodding in agreement.

"So what's the plan?" Duncan asked.

Paige was about to say something, but then looked at Billie. She realized that she needed to let Billie take charge now, as it was her new destiny as part of the Chosen. It was difficult to let go, but it was no longer her destiny. She needed to trust in Billie and the others. When Paige crossed eyes with the younger witch, she nodded as a sign of support. Billie nodded back, understanding what she was trying to say.

"Okay, Mikelle, I want you to go back up there and report in if there is any news." Billie said.

"Sure." Mikelle said.

"Duncan and Violet, you guys to the alley where the demons attacked Tyler and see if Violet can get a premonition off anything." Billie said.

"And what will you do?" Duncan asked.

"Paige and I will try to find Tyler, maybe we can find something to scry with." Billie said.

"Maybe I can use my old contacts at social services to find his last known address." Paige suggested.

"What about the demon?" Mikelle asked.

"Tyler is the main concern right now, we'll deal with Arcon once Tyler is safe." Billie said. "Let's do this."

Everyone went their own way, Mikelle orbed back to the Heavens and Duncan and Violet got their coats and headed to the alley. Paige felt a sense of pride for Billie, that she was able to take charge to quickly. She realized that Billie had grown up and matured a lot the last two years.

"Shall we go find your contacts?" Billie asked.

"Yes, let's go." Paige replied.

Paige took Billie's hand and both witches disappeared in a swirl of blue orbs.

Xxx

In an alley behind the South Bay Social Services, a swirl of orbs appeared and took she shape of Billie and Paige. The two witches quickly looked around to see if nobody spotted them and left the alley. It was already getting dark so Paige hoped her old friend was still at work. She looked at the familiar building and realized that she hadn't been here in a long time. Years ago she had quit her job as a social worker to become a fulltime witch. Now she was a part-time witch and a whitelighter, which was pretty much the magical version of a social worker anyways.

As they walked toward the entrance, Paige noted Billie seemed distracted.

"Are you okay?" Paige asked.

"What?" Billie said confused. "Oh yeah, I'm fine."

""Look, I know I'm not your whitelighter anymore, but I'm still your friend." Paige said. "It's obvious something is bothering you."

"All right." Billie said reluctantly. "Today is the anniversary of my parents' death. I have just been thinking about what happened a lot lately."

"Oh god." Paige said, realizing she had completely forgotten. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Billie said. "I've made my peace with it, I guess. It's just that Duncan and Violet have no idea. They don't know anything about me."

"And you're afraid to tell them?" Paige asked.

"A little. I don't know how they will react." Billie said.

"Billie, they are your friends. You need to trust them." Paige said. "I mean, we forgave you. Why wouldn't they?"

"I don't know. It's just difficult facing my past again." Billie replied.

"You'll be fine." Paige assured her. "It's time to start focusing on the future instead."

"You're right. Thanks, Paige." Billie said.

The two witches reached the door of the social office and went inside. Paige noticed that virtually nothing had changed inside. It almost felt like she had never left. Because it was getting pretty late, almost everyone had already left, luckily the office Paige needed still had a light on. Paige guided Billie through the office and knocked of the office door.

"Come in." A tired voice sounded from inside.

Paige opened the door and found her old boss, Mr. Cowan, sitting at his desk going through a pile of paperwork. He had aged a lot the past few years and looked tired.

"Paige?" Mr. Cowan said surprised as he saw her. "It's been years, what are you doing here?"

"Good to see you again, Mr. Cowan." Paige said. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, and please, call me Bob." Mr. Cowan said. " I'm not your boss anymore, unless you want your job back. The promotion still stands."

"Thanks, but that's not why I'm here." Paige said. "This is my friend, Billie. We kind of need a personal favor, off the record. We need access to an old file."

"Paige, you know I would like to help you, but handing you a file is against the law." Mr. Cowan said. "You're not a social worker anymore."

"But it's an emergency." Paige said, quickly trying to think of something. "It's about the Tyler Michaels case, the little boy that was found a couple of years back. I helped find a new family for him."

"Right, the Michaels case. I remember." Mr. Cowan said. "The foster parents disappeared in thin air."

"More like in smoke. You see the thing is, this…" Paige said pointing to Billie. "This is Tyler's biological sister. They got separated in the system and now Billie is trying to find her little brother."

"Is that true?" Mr. Cowan asked Billie.

"Uh, yes. Tyler is my little brother." Billie said stumbling. "I ran away from home and I just lost track of him. Then Paige told me about a former case of hers and it just sounded like Tyler."

"I know Tyler was adopted by the Michaels, I just need a last known address." Paige said.

"I guess I can make an exception for once, as a favor to you and to reunite a family." Mr. Cowan said. "Let me just find his file for a second."

Mr. Cowan got up and walked to a filing cabinet. As he looked for the file, Billie gave Paige a frustrated '_what the hell?_' look and Paige just shrugged. It was all she could think off at the time, plus it had worked. The two of them waited patiently for her former boss to find the file.

"Here we go." Mr. Cowan said as he closed the cabinet and sat back down at his desk and read through the file.

"Oh." Mr. Cowan said with a frown. "You said last you heard the Michaels adopted Tyler?"

"Yes, they were a great family that had trouble getting kids on their own." Paige said, in her opinion the Michaels were a great match for Tyler.

"Well, they did and it worked for a while." Mr. Cowan said. "Until Mrs. Michaels got pregnant and Tyler was sent back into the system."

"What?" Paige called out shocked. "How is that possible? How come I didn't hear about it?"

"By that time, you had already quit." Mr. Cowan said. "After that, we were unable to find another family for Tyler and he's been back in foster care ever since."

Paige suddenly felt an intense sense of guilt. She had assumed everything was fine with Tyler and hadn't even bothered to check up on him. He considered her and her sisters his friends and they had basically left him to his fate. How could she have let this happen?

"Where is he now?" Billie asked.

"I'll have to check the computer for that, we switched to digital files last year." Mr. Cowan said.

"I can't believe this." Paige said.

"It's not your fault, Paige." Billie said. "You did the best you could."

"Your friend is right, Paige." Mr. Cowan said as he worked on the computer. "You did everything by the books. Adoptions don't always work out. It's a shame, but that is the way it is."

"But Tyler trusted me, I should have been there for him." Paige said.

"Here we go, I found the file." Mr. Cowan said. "Oh."

"Oh? Is something wrong?" Paige asked.

"Tyler's foster parents called the police this afternoon. There is a warrant out for Tyler's arrest, he's being suspected of arson." Mr. Cowan said. "Wherever he is, you'd better find him before the cops do, otherwise he will probably be sent to a juvenile detention facility."

"Oh god, this just keeps getting worse." Paige said.

"Don't give up, Paige." Billie said. "What's the last known address?"

"Here, I'll write it down for you." Mr. Cowan said as he wrote it down on a piece of paper. "I don't know what you're hoping to find, though."

"Anything that could help us find him." Billie said. "Paige, we should get going."

"Right." Paige said distracted, she couldn't get her mind off what had happened to Tyler. She felt so bad for him, and guilty that she didn't stop this from happening.

"Paige, don't blame yourself for this. You did the best you could." Mr. Cowan said.

"I'm not so sure." Paige replied. "But thank you for your help."

"Of course, I just hope you will be able to help him after all." Mr. Cowan said. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Billie said as she took Paige's arm and guided her out. "We'll let you know once we found him. Bye."

Billie guided Paige out of the office and outside, meanwhile night had fallen over the city and the moon was rising in the background. Paige didn't really notice it, as her mind was still elsewhere. She vaguely heard Billie say something to her, but the words didn't come through. Then Billie suddenly pushed her against the wall.

"Billie, what the hell?" Paige asked, rubbing her sore shoulder.

"You need to snap out of it." Billie said a little angry. "Feeling sorry for yourself because you made a mistake doesn't help Tyler right now. You can make it up to him later, but right now his life is in danger."

Paige realized that Billie was right. This was not the time to worry about the past. Tyler was in danger, demons were after him. Right now, saving his life was all that should matter. They would have time to talk about the past when all of this was over.

"I'm sorry, Billie." Paige said. "You're right. Do you have the address?"

"Got it right here." Billie said as she held up a piece of paper. "Let's orb and get this thing over with."

Paige nodded and took the piece of paper from Billie. Luckily she knew the area where the foster family lived. That always made orbing a lot easier. Paige took Billie's arm and together they disappeared in a swirl of orbs. After the two witches had left, Arcon stepped out of the shadows and smiled. The witches would lead him straight to the firestarter. He disappeared in a column of smoke and followed them.

Xxx

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Violet and Duncan stood huddled up behind a car, waiting for the last of the policemen to clear the alley. Everything was closed off with yellow tape, which was becoming a recurring thing in Violet's life. Seeing the tape reminded her of the parking lot where the Grimlock had killed her favorite professor. She was still new to the magical world, but she already knew this was something she could never get used to.

"Come on, they're leaving, finally." Duncan said as the cop car drove off.

The two witches quickly walked over the crime scene and went under the yellow tape. The alley was still wet, as the firemen had to put of the fires. Dumpsters were completely burned down and it smelled like burned plastic and garbage.

"What am I supposed to do?" Violet asked.

"See if you can get a premonition off anything." Duncan said.

"You mean I have to touch stuff?" Violet asked a little repulsed.

"That's how it usually works, yeah." Duncan replied.

"I hate this power." Violet said reluctantly as she started her psychic investigation.

"Violet, over here." Duncan said after a while.

Violet walked over to him and found him standing over a pile of melting shards of ice. There was something very wrong about it, as the ice had a smudgy reddish color.

"What's that?" Violet asked suspiciously.

"You really don't want to know." Duncan said. "Just touch it to see if you can get anything."

Reluctantly, Violet kneeled down and brought her fingers to the ice. She was trying really hard not to imagine where it had come from. The redheaded witch closed her eyes as he touched she eyes and gasped as she was pulled into a premonition.

_A blonde teenage boy was running from something, when he reached a dead end he stopped and turned, terrified. A man stood in front of him, blocking the exit. The teenager brought his hands to his temples and the man caught on fire, but the fire quickly extinguished and the man raised his hand. A stream of ice was fired at the boy. _

As Violet returned to reality, she felt a chill running down her spine. It was so cold. She knew the boy was Tyler, and that they had to find him quickly, or else it would be too late.

xxx


	4. Chapter 4

Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter 4

Xxx

After returning from the alley where Violet got her premonition, Duncan and Violet went back to Billie's dorm room. Once there, they discovered that the others hadn't returned yet, meaning that Billie and Paige were probably still at social services and Mikelle was still up there. As they sat down, Duncan noticed that Violet was still a little shaken up from her premonition and realized that is be hard to see all those horrible things flash for your eyes.

"Are you okay?" Duncan asked.

"I think so, just a little sick." Violet said. "Getting these visions feels like a really crazy rollercoaster ride."

"Tell me again what you saw, premonitions can contain a lot of hidden information." Duncan said.

"I don't know if I can." Violet said.

"You were given this power for a reason, Vi." Duncan said. "You did it when you found those little girls in the Grimlock lair. You can handle it."

"But I'm not sure I want to." Violet replied. "I'm just getting used to this whole magic thing and I might even start to like it, but I will never get used to these images."

"Guess you're right." Duncan said. "So far you've only experienced the bad side of magic. There is a good side, you know."

"Like what?" Violet asked.

"Well, like spells and being able to help people, seeing things you've never thought possible." Duncan explained. "Maybe Billie and I can show you, maybe take you to Magic School or something. It would help seeing the good side of magic."

"Sounds nice." Violet said. "Speaking about Billie, did you notice anything about her today?"

"What do you mean?" Duncan asked confused.

"I don't know, she seemed a little distracted, and she was kind of evasive when you asked her about that whole Ultimate battle thing." Violet said. "I don't want to sound suspicious, but it was a little weird."

"I didn't notice anything." Duncan said shrugging.

"Well, you're a guy, you don't notice stuff like that, but I got the sense something was wrong." Violet said. "She just seems so sad sometimes. How well you really know her?"

"I don't, really." Duncan said. "I mean, I had heard of her working with the Charmed Ones, but I never met her before this whole Chosen thing either. Do you think she's hiding something?"

"I don't know, I don't want to accuse or anything, I guess I'm just worried." Violet said.

"I think it's a part of this whole coven thing." Duncan said. "We're all connected now, and not just our magic. Maybe you're picking up something because of it."

"I'm just afraid to ask, I feel like we're friends, but we don't know each other that well yet. What if I hurt her feelings?" Violet asked.

"You're just concerned, that's a good thing, not a bad thing." Duncan replied. "Maybe you're right, we just need to get to know each other better. I think we all have stuff we haven't told each other yet."

At that moment, a column of orbs appeared, which enlightened the room in a blue glow. The orbs took the shape of Mikelle and the light faded away.

"Any news from up there?" Duncan asked.

"Not much." Mikelle replied. "The Elders tried to track Tyler, but they suspect the demon after him is interfering with their connection, so to speak. What about you?"

"I got another premonition." Violet said. "I saw Tyler running from that demon, Arcon, and he froze him. It wasn't much, but I think it was meant to tell us time is running out. I don't see how that helps, we already knew that."

"Every premonition served a purpose. No matter how irrelevant it may seem at first." Mikelle said.

"Well, like what?" Violet asked.

"Ice." Duncan suddenly said, getting an idea. "You said Arcon froze him, right? At least now we know what kind of power he uses, which means we can prepare against that. I think I can make some potions that neutralize powers like that, or at least weaken them."

"Well, that's something." Mikelle said.

"I have a stash of magical stuff at my dorm, I'll go get it." Duncan said.

Before he could get up, however, another blue light filled the room as Paige and Billie reappeared in a swirl of orbs.

"How did it go?" Duncan asked.

"Well, we found Tyler's address and found some of his stuff. Hopefully it will be enough to scry for him." Billie said as she held up a bag. "Can't say I blame him for running away, though. Paige, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about Tyler." Paige said a little distracted.

Billie filled the others in on what had happened at social services and at Tyler's foster home. From what she told, Tyler's foster mother sounded like a horrible, selfish person and Duncan agreed with Billie when she said she understood why he ran away. Once Billie was finished, Violet and Duncan told the others what they had learned.

While Violet was telling them about her premonition, Duncan couldn't help but look at Billie and thought about what Violet had said. Maybe there was more to Billie then she was letting on.

"So it's settled then." Billie suddenly said, snapping Duncan back to reality. "We'll scry for Tyler while you prepare some potions? I'll also try to write a spell in case we need it."

Duncan suddenly noticed everyone was looking at him. "Right, yeah." Duncan quickly said. "I'll make some anti-freeze potions and a couple of vanquishing potions. Don't know how far I'll get, since we don't have a lot of time."

"Well, if anyone can make it work, it's you." Billie said.

"Right." Duncan said doubtingly.

"Don't worry, I'll help you." Paige said. "I can't sit still right now, I need something to do."

Paige stood up and took Duncan's arm. In a swirl of orbs, they were teleported from Billie's dorm room to his own, which was a lot less organized and a complete mess. Duncan quickly apologized for the mess and started collecting his magical stash from their hidden location. Luckily, he kept a small book with useful potions around as well. Having gathered his stuff, Paige and Duncan quickly got to work.

xxx

As night passed over San Francisco, Tyler found himself still wandering the streets looking for a place to sleep. The police was keeping an eye out for him, so public transportation out of the city was out of the question for now. All places he could have gone, like the manor, were guarded by demons. It seemed like sleeping on the street was the only solution.

"Hey kid." A man Tyler passed suddenly said.

Tyler turned around saw it was a man probably in his late twenties, he was unshaved and wearing old, worn-down clothes. He was holding a pile of pamphlets. Probably a homeless man, much like himself, Tyler instantly realized.

"I don't have any money." Tyler quickly said and wanted to walk away.

"I don't want your money." The man said. "I don't need your help, I'm here to help you."

"What are you talking about?" Tyler asked. "You don't know me."

"I know your type." The man said. "You look like a kid with no place to go. How long have you been on the street?"

"That's none of your business." Tyler said.

"So what? You ran away from home or something?" The man asked.

Tyler wondered how the man knew so much, was he that easy to read? Was the man genuinely trying to help, or was he a demon is disguise? Now he was getting paranoid.

"Foster care." Tyler said. "I ran away from foster care."

"Are you in trouble?" the man asked.

"Something like that." Tyler replied. "What's it to you?"

"I am a volunteer at a homeless shelter." The man said and handed Tyler one of the pamphlets he was holding. "If you need food and bed for the night, we can help you."

"What's the catch?" Tyler asked suspiciously as he studied the piece of paper. It looked real enough.

"There is no catch." The man said. "You'll just get a bed for the night and tomorrow we'll see about helping you with your problems. Maybe call social services."

"Not interested." Tyler said as he threw away the paper of started to walk away.

"Okay, forget about social services. How about just a bed for the night?" The man asked.

Tyler stopped and thought for a moment. What alternatives did he really have? He'd just sleep for a couple of hours and get out before they called in social services, or the cops.

"Okay." Tyler said as he turned around and faced the man. "What's your name, anyway?"

"I'm Eric." The man said. "What's your name?"

"Tyler." Tyler replied.

Eric signaled him to follow as he walked down the street. Tyler wondered he knew what he was doing and hoped he wasn't walking straight into a trap.

Xxx

All the while they were working on the vanquishing potions, Paige's mind was absent. Her thoughts were with Tyler the entire time, which basically meant that Duncan had done all the work by himself. Luckily, he was a very skilled potion brewer, which reminded Paige of her sister Piper. Out of the three of them, Piper was always the best potion maker, which was the same role Duncan fulfilled in the Chosen.

Meanwhile, Paige wondered how Tyler was doing. That woman at his foster home was awful, she wished he never had to experience that. Both She and Henry have dealt with the foster system in their youth and they understood what it did to kid. Once he was safe, she needed to make sure that he wasn't send back to that place.

"The potions are ready." Duncan said.

"Good, let's get going." Paige said.

Duncan put the potions in a bag and got ready. They were about to orb out when there was a knock on the door. Duncan walked over the door and opened it. On the other side they found Billie and Violet. Billie held up her phone with a navigator on it.

"Found him." Billie said. "He kept moving around, but looks like he finally settled for the night. We got Mikelle on standby in case we need healing."

"Good work, Billie." Paige said. "Let's hurry."

Xxx

The moment Tyler had arrived at the homeless shelter, he felt out of place. It was about as depressing as he had imagined. Luckily, Eric guided him around and got him something to eat. Eric was very kind and clearly cared a lot about the work he did. When they walked around the shelter everyone greeted him warmly, showing that Tyler wasn't the only one who felt that way.

After a little while, the young firestarter realized he was exhausted from walking around the whole day. Eric showed him to a room which was empty at the moment, but that he would probably have to share if any more people showed up. When Eric left, Tyler dropped down on a bed and closed his eyes.

He was about to doze off when there was a knock on the door. Reluctantly, Tyler got up and walked to the door. When he opened up, he was surprised to find Paige on the other side.

"Tyler, thank god." Paige said. "We have been looking all over for you."

"Paige." Tyler said confused. "How did you find me?"

"Magic of course." Paige replied. "Can we come in?"

"Who's we?" Tyler asked.

Paige took a step back and revealed three other people standing behind her. The first was a hot blonde girl and the others were another girl with red hair and a guy with brown hair. Tyler wondered who they were.

"These are friends of mine, witches just like me." Paige said. "They helped me find you."

"Oh." Tyler said, not really knowing what else to say.

"Look, Tyler, I know you're powers are back and that demons are after you. Just come with us and we can keep you save until we work something out." Paige said.

"Why should I trust you?" Tyler said.

"Tyler, I'm sorry." Paige said. "Can we just talk for a second in private?"

"I guess." Tyler replied shrugging.

"Guys, can you give us a minute?" Paige asked the others.

"Sure." The blonde girl said. "We'll take a look around."

As the others left, Paige came into the room and closed the door behind her. Tyler sat back down on his bed and stared at the floor, reluctant to talk to her. He felt as Paige sat down next to him.

"I don't really know what to say." Paige said. "I know it's not an excuse, but I had no idea the adoption felt through."

"No, how could you? You weren't there." Tyler replied angrily.

"I just quit my job, that didn't mean I wasn't there anymore." Paige said. "I still…"

"You still what?" Tyler called out as he jumped up. "You still care? Well, you certainly showed that when you left me with those horrible people. I thought you were my friends, but you clearly only care about me when demons are after me!"

"Tyler.." Paige tried to say.

Tyler was still furious at her, even though he realized that it wasn't exactly her fault. He was just angry at the entire situation, angry that his life sucked. He kicked over a chair and suddenly felt a now familiar sharp pain in his head. He placed his hands on his temples and tried to stop his powers before he burned down the shelter.

"Tyler, you need to calm down." Paige said.

"I'm tying!" Tyler called out. "I can't."

"Yes, you can." Paige said as she stood up and walked toward him. "Your powers don't control you, you control them. Your powers are tied to your emotions. You're strong enough to control them. You did it before."

"It's more difficult now, my powers are stronger." Tyler said while in pain.

"So are you." Paige assured him.

Tyler felt his powers about to burst until Paige suddenly took his hands. As he looked in her eyes he saw that his words had hurt her and that she did care about him. He realized that he had been unfair to her. He really wasn't angry at her, just at everything else. As he let go of his anger, he felt his powers calm down.

"Are you okay?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, I think do." Tyler said.

Suddenly, there was a crash from downstairs and Tyler heard screams. His first thought was that the demons had somehow found him, but they couldn't have tracked his powers this time. He managed to control them thanks to Paige. Before either of them could move, an orange glow appeared and the brown-haired guy that was with Paige earlier appeared.

"Paige, the demons are here. Get Tyler out here." He said.

Before Paige could respond, he disappeared in the same orange glow.

"Come on, I'm getting you out of here." Paige said.

"What about the others?" Tyler asked.

"They can handle themselves." Paige said.

"But what about the innocents, I can't let the demons kill them because of me!" Tyler said.

Tyler hurried to the door and headed down the hallway. He heard Paige calling for him, but he didn't stop. He wouldn't let the people that helped him, die for him. When he nearly reached the stairs, he bumped into Eric, who was clearly freaked out.

"Tyler, you need to get out of here!" Eric warned him.

A demon came running up the stairs after him. Tyler didn't know how he knew it was a demon, he just had a certain look about him. When he created an energy ball, Tyler was sure. The demon threw the energy ball at Eric, but Tyler quickly used his powers to destroy it in flames before it could reach them. He then focused his powers on the demon and vanquished him in a fiery explosion. Eric looked at him in shock and he was surprised himself by his sudden control over his powers.

"You need to run, Eric." Tyler said. "They're after me."

"We sure are." A cold voice said behind him.

Tyler quickly spun around and saw a hypothermic Paige lying on the ground with a demon dressed in a black suit standing over her, of whom Tyler presumed was Arcon. Tyler quickly checked to make sure Paige was still alive, which she was, although she looked like she was about to freeze to death.

"You want me, let them go." Tyler said.

"You're willing to come just like that, after all that running?" Arcon said.

"What the hell is going on? Who or what are you people?" Eric called out.

"We're talking, mortal. Don't interfere." Arcon said in annoyed tone.

"I'm getting out of here." Eric said.

Eric tried to run away, past Arcon. Tyler tried to scream and tell him to stop but he was too late before the sound even left his lips. As Eric passed the demon, he suddenly grabbed him by the throat. Eric tried to struggle free but Arcon simply smiled. Suddenly Eric gasped as his body suddenly turned to ice. Tyler watched in horror as the man had had been so friendly to him turned into a frozen statue of shock.

"Don't." Tyler pleaded.

Arcon looked at him and smiled. He then let go of Eric and pushed him against the wall. Tyler screamed as he watched Eric hit the wall and shatter into a million frozen pieces. Mortified, he looked at the pile of ice that used to be Eric and felt his rage burning. He looked at Arcon and unleashed his powers, setting the demon aflame. However, Arcon simple smiled as the fire disappeared.

"You just had to make this difficult." Arcon said.

Before Tyler could run or fight back, the demon raised his hand and send a stream of ice at him. The ice felt like being plunged into the arctic ocean, causing him to go into shock. Tyler fell down to the floor shivering and the last thing he saw was Paige looking at him. He hoped that at least she would survive.

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter 5

Xxx

Billie ran across the room and ducked behind a table, barely avoiding a fire ball being thrown at her. The blonde witch quickly flipped the table and observed the situation. The demons had come out of nowhere, attacking at random. Luckily she and the others had been able to get all innocents to safety before the demons began their attack.

Billie noticed Violet pressed against a wall, taking cover behind a closet that didn't provide much cover. She cringed every time a fire ball hit the wall, as sparks flew past her face.

"Vi, get over here." Billie tried to say as quietly as possible.

Violet quickly shook her head and ducked to avoid another fire ball. Billie tried to signal her to come over, while trying to say that she would protect her. Eventually Violet understood and nodded. Billie counted down on her fingers. When she reached zero, Violet jumped forward and ran toward her screaming. It would have been funny if it wasn't dangerous. Billie got up at the same time and used her telekinesis to deflect all fire balls thrown at Violet. When Violet was safe, Billie ducked down and took a deep breath.

"How did they find Tyler?" Violet asked.

"I don't know. Maybe they didn't. Maybe they found us." Billie replied. "Where is Duncan?"

"I don't know." Violet replied. "I was too busy hiding."

Billie quickly scanned the room and noticed Duncan hiding around a corner. He was leaning against the wall and seemed unconscious. For a moment Billie thought he might have been hurt, but when he suddenly gasped and sat up, she realized that he had astral projected. Probably to warn Paige and Tyler. When she asked him if they had gotten out, he only shrugged.

Meanwhile the barrage of fire balls continued, tearing down the homeless shelter. They were clearly outnumbered and Duncan and Violet were not experienced at demon fighting at all. She needed to think of something fast, but the only thing she could think of was that she needed to start training the others once they got out of this mess.

"Okay, Violet. Take these potions." Billie said as she handed Violet the potions. "I'm going to get up and deflect their attack, you throw the potions to vanquish them."

Billie then turned to Duncan and held up the potions, hoping he would understand. Judging from his worried nod, she assumed he did.

"Here goes nothing." Billie said as she jumped up.

As Billie got up, she noticed that the demons attacking them were a group of six demons, that all started to throw fire balls. Billie quickly flung her arms and send them back at the demons, who avoided them. Meanwhile Violet and Duncan started tossing potions at the demons, not all of them hit but at least three of them were vanquished. Then suddenly Billie had to duck a fire ball that flew past her face and fell on the ground. The others also took cover again.

"What now?" Violet asked.

Three out of six demons were vanquished, meaning they now had a fair shot. Unfortunately, they were out of potions and none of them had active powers capable of vanquishing the demons directly. Then Billie suddenly had an idea.

Billie waved at Duncan and caught his attention. She tried to make a stabbing movement with her hand, to which Duncan gave her a very weird look, causing Billie to wonder what he thought she was doing. She repeated the movement and whispered the word athame.

Suddenly Duncan seemed to understand and held out his hand, conjuring an athame out of thin air. Billie then signaled they needed three. Duncan conjured two more athames and slid two of them across the floor.

Billie counted down and jumped up, she threw the athame at the middle demon, hitting her target in the chest. The demon screamed and was vanquished in a fiery explosion. Then Duncan threw his blade and vanquished the second demon. Lastly, Violet attempted to throw her, but missed the demon and instead attempted to vanquish the door. The last demon retaliated by throwing a fire ball, which Billie send back, vanquishing the last of the demons.

"We did it." Duncan said proudly.

"Yeah, come on, we need to check on the others." Billie said quickly and headed up the stairs.

The three young witches quickly ran up the stairs and Billie was shocked by what she found. Paige was lying on the floor, ice cold and hypothermic. She ran over and checked her, luckily she was still breathing.

"Mikelle!" Billie called out in panic.

Within a few second, Mikelle materialized in a column of orbs. She looked at Paige and instantly realized what needed to be done. She kneeled down next to Paige and started healing her. Billie, who was holding Paige's hands, immediately felt warmth returning.

"Billie, Vi, look at this." Duncan said.

Billie stood up and joined Duncan and Violet around a pile of bloody ice. Billie instantly had the horrible realization that this was no ordinary ice.

"Do you recognize it?" Duncan asked Violet.

"Yes." Violet said sadly. "Definitely Arcon's work. It's so horrible."

"We need to know who it was." Billie said, knowing she was asking a lot.

"I thought you might say that." Violet said sadly.

She kneeled down next to the ice and carefully placed her hands on the ice. Billie felt bad having to ask this of her. She could only imagine how horrible the images of a premonition were. She turned and checked on Mikelle, who was still healing Paige.

"It's not Tyler." Was all Violet managed to say.

"Then Arcon must have him." Duncan said. "He wouldn't kill him yet, would he?"

"Not if we hurry." Billie said.

"What about Paige?" Violet asked.

"Healing can only do so much, she will need to rest." Mikelle said. "I will orb her home. Do you have a way to track Arcon?"

"He's a power broker, he's try to sell Tyler's powers." Billie said. "All we have to do is find a demon that we can pursue to lead us there."

"There will be a lot of powerful demons there then." Duncan replied. "Are we ready for that?"

"No, but we have to try." Billie said.

"You can do it." Mikelle said. "You're the Chosen now, you're no longer independent witches, you're a collective power now. If you use that power, nothing can stop you."

"I hope you're right." Billie said. "We'll need transportation."

"Good thing I came prepared." Duncan said, holding out his hand.

"Teleportation potions?" Billie asked confused. "Where did you get those?"

"You didn't think you were the only one who could create these, did you?" Duncan replied.

Duncan handed the potion to Billie and told her to think of the place she wanted to go. Duncan and Violet then both took her hand and she threw the potion down, teleporting all of them to the underworld.

Xxx

Back home at the apartment, Henry sat in front of the TV, though he wasn't really paying attention. His eyes were fixated on the clock. Paige had been gone for hours now and he was starting to get worried. She was a witch and she could take care of herself, but that didn't mean that he would ever stop worrying. She was everything to him.

Henry then thought about how it would be like if they had children. He always wanted kids and had been pushing it on Paige for ages, a little too much at times. But if they had kids, they would be magical as well. His kids would also go out and fight demons and god knows what else, just like Paige and the rest of their family. He wasn't sure if he would be able to handle that. He loved Paige, but sometimes the magic thing was hard to handle.

A bright blue light filled the room and a column of orbs descended down. Henry jumped up hoping it was Paige. However, he quickly noticed something was wrong. Another whitelighter, a girl naked Mikelle or something, appeared kneeled down with Paige on the floor.

"What happened?" Henry asked as he ran over.

"She was frozen by a demon." Mikelle replied. "Don't worry, she'll be alright. Billie and the others are after the demon."

Henry quickly picked up his wife and placed of on the couch. She felt cold and was shivering, but she was breathing.

"What happened?" Henry asked.

"We were trying to find Tyler, he was being hunted by demons." Mikelle explained. "When we finally found him, the demons showed up and attacked."

"We have to find him." Paige whispered.

"Honey, you need to rest, you nearly died." Henry replied.

"No, I can't." Paige said weakly. "I already let him down once, Henry. He needs me. He needs someone who cares about him."

"I'm sure Billie and the others will keep him save." Henry assured her.

"You need to make sure she gets some rest." Mikelle said. "I've done all I can, and I need to get back in case the others need me."

"Okay. Keep us updated." Henry replied.

Mikelle nodded and orbed away. Paige tried to get up and Henry gently pushed her back down on the couch. She felt cold and weak, she needed to rest. Henry grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her, trying to warm her up.

"Henry, I need to do something." Paige said.

"Yes, you do." Henry said. "You need to rest and trust that Billie can handle this. You can be there for Tyler when they bring him back."

"I can't let him down again, Henry." Paige said.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

"I met Tyler when he was eleven and a foster child." Paige explained. "I thought I had found him a home, but instead he ended up back in the system."

"That's not your fault." Henry said.

"Maybe, but I still feel responsible." Paige said. "We both know what it's like, not being wanted. I don't want that for him, I don't want that for anybody."

Henry knew what she meant. They had both had experience with not being wanted. Henry had spent his entire childhood in foster care as well and knew the feeling all too well. It was probably the reason that he wanted a family so badly now. He knew Paige had gone through the same as well, being given up for adoption, though she was lucky to spend a few happy years with her adoptive family.

"It will be alright, Paige." Henry said softly. "We'll figure something out."

"I already know what I want, Henry." Paige said. "But I can't do it without you."

Xxx

The first thing Tyler felt when he woke up, was a cold shiver down his spine. He quickly sat up tried to warm himself by rubbing his arms. His skin was ice cold and his cloths stiff and frozen. When he looked around, he saw he was in a dark cavern. Even though he had never been there before, it wasn't hard to figure out where he was, the Underworld. He was trapped, chained against a wall by his feet. The cavern was lit by a few torches and was otherwise empty, Tyler wondered how demons could live like this.

Tired of feeling cold, Tyler sat up and concentrated. In his hands, a small fire appeared, warming him up. Not everything about his powers were a bad thing after all. Within a few minutes, he felt warm and dry again. When he heard a noise coming from further down the cavern, he quickly put of the fire and watched.

"Awake, are we?" Arcon asked as he entered the cavern.

"Let me go." Tyler said.

"Or what? You'll set me on fire again?" Arcon said with a smile. "Your powers don't work on me, I took in enough powers to make me immune to yours."

"So now what?" Tyler asked.

"Now I'm going to prepare for the auction." Acron said. "Firestarters are extremely rare and now that the Source is gone, I'm no longer required to deliver all of you to him. You're going to the highest bidder now, boy."

"So why am I still alive?" Tyler asked.

"Most of my costumers pay more for living powers." Arcon. "Fresh and unspoiled, and they like to make the kill themselves most of the time."

"Lucky me." Tyler remarked.

"Trust me, if it were up to me I would have given you a quick death and only sold your powers." Arcon said. "But the customer is king."

"So how does this auction go?" Tyler asked, he wasn't really curious, but he figured it was better than not knowing, and it could help stall time until Paige and the others got there.

"Well, I try to keep it civil, but usually the costumers start killing each other when they're outbid." Arcon replied. "Now I think you've stalled enough, time for me to set up the auction."

Acron turned and left the cavern. Tyler quickly scanned the place looking for a way to escape, though the cavern was empty. He looked at his chains but they were too strong to burn through. There was no escape, at least not until he was taken to the auction. Maybe he could distract Arcon with a fire and run for it and hide, wait for Paige to find him.

Tyler then realized he wasn't even sure if she had survived. She just had to, he would never able to forgive himself if she died trying to save him, especially because of how he treated her. As he waited for the demons to come get him, he begged Paige to be alive.

Xxx

In a puff of smoke from the teleportation potion, Billie, Duncan and Violet appeared in the Underworld. As always, the demonic world felt hot and dry, as if you were walking on an active volcano, though Billie had never seen magma or anything. As she looked around she suddenly remembered Christy was held here for years, and she felt guilty. She still had to tell the others about her past.

"So this is the underworld?" Violet asked a little freaked, considering it was her first time.

"Yes, we have to be careful." Billie warned her. "If we draw too much attention before we find Tyler, we might never reach him."

"So we're actually under the earth now?" Violet asked. "It's so warm here."

"Not really." Duncan said. "It's called the Underworld, but it's actually located on another plane of existence. Otherwise it would have been exposed by now."

"Right." Violet replied a little confused.

"We should track down a demon that can help us find Tyler, but we should avoid large groups." Billie said.

"What if we run into a group?" Duncan asked.

"You still got the teleportation potions, right?" Billie asked.

"Yeah, got plenty of them." Duncan replied.

"Good, we should divide them." Billie said. "Only use them as a final escape, I don't want to leave here without Tyler. I owe it to Paige to find him."

"What do you mean?" Violet asked.

"Nothing, I mean, Paige is my friend and Tyler is an innocent. We have to save him." Billie said quickly.

Billie knew she had to tell them, but now was not the time, saving Tyler was all that mattered right now. She noticed Violet and Duncan exchange looks and she realized they knew something was going on. They knew she wasn't telling them everything and were starting to get suspicious. She knew she couldn't hide it any longer.

"Look, there is something I have been meaning to tell you, but can we wait until this whole thing is over?" Billie asked.

"Of course." Violet said. "Just know that you can tell us anything, right?"

"Right." Duncan replied.

"Thank you." Billie said with a sigh of relief.

Before anyone could say anything else, they suddenly heard voices coming closer. The three witches quickly hid behind a large rock and waited to see what was coming. A group of low-level demons appeared, talking loudly, though it was hard to understand what they were saying because they were speaking in a strange langue. However, while listening closely, Billie could swear she heard the name Arcon and something about fire or something. The demons went into a corridor and disappeared from sight.

"This is really freaking me out." Violet whispered. "I only found out I was a witch a few days ago and now I'm stuck in hell surrounded by demons. A few days ago I didn't even know this all existed."

"Did you get what they were talking about?" Duncan asked.

"I think they were talking about Tyler." Billie replied.

"I think so too." Duncan said. "Back at Magic School, I had a few lessons in demonic languages and I think I heard them talking about a trade or a deal or something. "

"Then we need to follow them." Billie said. "They'll lead us straight to Tyler."

Billie got up and carefully took a look down the corridor, just in time to see the demons take a left at a crossroads. Billie and turned and signaled the others to follow before heading down the corridor. If they lost the demons, they'd lose their only chance at finding Tyler.

Xxx

Arcon smiled as demons started appearing in the grand cavern where he held his auctions. It was a large cavern with a natural rock formation that served as a stage for presenting his merchandise. He waved at one of his demons, ordering him to come over.

"Go prepare the Firestarter." Arcon said. "Remember, not a scratch. Any damage will lower the price."

The demon nodded and walked away. Arcon was about to walk over to greet some his first guests when a woman suddenly appeared in front of him. She appeared in a shimmer with a reddish glow and was a beautiful woman with an Asian appearance. He recognized her instantly. They had worked together before.

"Klea." Arcon said. "Nice to see you out in the open. Grown tired of the shadows?"

"Arcon." Klea replied, ignoring his remark. "I've come to offer you a deal. My employers are willing to pay a high price if you call off the auction right now."

"It's a free market. Everyone deserves a fair chance." Arcon replied.

"My employers offer more than currency." Klea said. "And I advise you to take their offer. The Brotherhood will take over soon, and you had better be on their side."

"What do they offer?" Arcon asked.

"Besides letting you live, monopoly over the power trading business when they take charge." Klea answered. "With the prospect of earning a place among them, in time."

Arcon took some time to consider. He had heard the rumors about this new Brotherhood, the next big bad in town. He wasn't interested in becoming a lackey, but for now, it would not be a smart move to get on their bad side.

"Sounds like you got yourself a deal." Arcon said as he shook her hand.

xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter 6

Xxx

Back at their apartment, Henry had finally convinced Paige that it was okay to take a shower and warm up. All they could do now was wait, so there was no point in being cold. Luckily Mikelle had healed Paige in time, so there was no lasting damage, but she could have frozen to death. Henry wondered if he was ever going to get used to magic. Which was exactly why he was completely caught off guard when Paige told him her idea.

Some time after they had gotten married, Henry and Paige had signed up as a potential foster family for kids in trouble. They both knew what foster care was like and they wanted to give kids a better home then they had. Henry remembered all the awful foster homes he had been in and he didn't want that for anyone else. But to bring a magical teenager into their home was a whole different issue. He already freaked when he thought about having a magical baby, let alone a teenager. What could he, as a regular mortal, possibly mean for someone like Tyler?

Henry looked up a column of orbs descended down from the ceiling and took shape of Mikelle.

"Any news?" Henry asked.

"No, as long as they are in the underworld, I can't sense them." Mikelle replied. "How is Paige?"

"Taking a shower, she needed to warm up." Henry said.

"Okay, good, healing isn't everything." Mikelle said. "So what's going on with you? You got this troubled look."

"Paige wants to take Tyler in when this all over." Henry replied.

"Oh, and you don't to?" Mikelle asked.

"It's not that I don't want to, but I don't know how to handle it." Henry replied. "I can barely understand and deal with magic as it is. What role can I play in that kid's life?"

"Tyler might possess magic, but he is still a normal teenage boy, you know." Mikelle said. "Let Paige deal with the magic part, he needs more than that."

"And what if he sets the house on fire when I tell him to go do his homework?" Henry asked.

"Okay, look, something tells me this is about more than just Tyler." Mikelle said. "You think it will be like that with your own kids? That they'll orb away when they won't listen?"

"Maybe." Henry said. "I want to create a family with Paige, but magic.."

"Forget about magic." Mikelle interrupted him. "Magic is not important, you want a family, then have a family, deal with the other stuff later."

Henry considered what Mikelle said, maybe she was right. Maybe he was over thinking the whole magic thing. Magic was only a part of them, it would always be there, but it would not consume their lives. Mikelle was also right about Tyler, he was a teenager with no parents. Henry remembered how it felt to have nobody at that age, how he needed a parental figure back then. IF he had the change to give that to Tyler, why was he even doubting it?

"How did you get so insightful?" Henry asked.

"Whitelighter boot camp." Mikelle remarked. "We're basically like heavenly shrinks."

"Right." Henry said with a smile.

"I just wanted to see how Paige was doing. I should get back up there and give an update on the situation. The Elders are really breathing down my neck on this one."

Mikelle orbed up back to the Heavens and left Henry alone in the apartment once again. He could heard the water running in the shower. Paige would be so happy to know he supported her decision. Even though she didn't realize it herself, for a woman who didn't want kid yet, she was already becoming pretty maternal.

Xxx

When he heard people coming, Tyler sat up and did his best to hide his fear, even though his hands were still trembling. He didn't want to give these the demons the satisfaction of seeing his scared, if he was going to die, he was at least going to do it bravely. He still had hope that the others were coming to save him, but that hope was getting slimmer by the minute.

Acron entered the cavern with a female demon. Tyler was confused, as he thought he was going to be auctioned off in public. Maybe the woman made an offer ahead of the auction, or she just wanted a closer look at the merchandise.

"Change of plans, kid." Arcon said. "Klea here made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"What about the auction?" Tyler asked.

"Well, the other demons will be disappointed, but that's business." Arcon said.

"Enough with the chitchat, Arcon." Klea said in annoyed tone. "I have other appointments to keep."

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Arcon said. "However, I'm not handing over the firestarter until I get my payment."

"This was not part of the deal." Klea said as she glared at him.

"I'm afraid I must insist. I need some reinsurance." Arcon said. "How else will I know you won't stab me in the back?"

"The Brotherhood will not be pleased with this." Klea threatened.

"I'm sure you can work something out." Arcon said casually.

"You need to be careful, Arcon." Klea said. "You might be in charge around here, but compared to the Brotherhood, you are nothing. You're walking on thin ice."

The demoness shimmered away, leaving a red glare behind that quickly faded. Arcon smiled and turned to Tyler.

"You've turned out to be more profitable than I thought, kid." Arcon said.

Tyler didn't reply and instead stared at the ground. He felt his hands tremble but he didn't want to seem scared. However, Arcon didn't seem to notice, he was too smug and self-satisfied to pay attention.

"I wonder what the Brotherhood will do with you." He said. "I mean, I would have granted you a quick death, I don't really take please in killing, but I have no idea what they will do with you."

"What is the Brotherhood anyway?" Tyler asked.

"I'm not going to play twenty questions, kid." Arcon said. "It's been nice knowing you, kid. I'll have a demon pick you up once the deal is done."

"I hope she does stab you in the back." Tyler remarked.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Arcon said as he turned and walked away.

As soon as the demon left, Tyler struggled against the chains again. The small piece of hope that he had left, was now completely gone.

Xxx

Meanwhile, Billie and the others were still quietly following the group of demons, hoping that they would eventually lead them to Tyler. However, they had been following the demons through the dark caverns for what seemed like miles, and Billie was starting to lose hope. She feared that time was running out.

"Where are they going? We've been walking forever." Violet whispered.

"I have no idea." Billie replied. "But they were talking about the auction, so we must be getting closer."

"What will we do when we get there?" Duncan asked. "We're just three witches against a lot of demons. I still have a few spare vanquishing potions, but it won't be enough."

"Remember what Mikelle said. We're the Chosen now." Billie said. "Together we are stronger."

"Like the Power of Three." Duncan replied.

"How will that help? I have no powers to defend myself." Violet said.

"We need a spell." Duncan replied. "Something we can channel our power with."

"I'm not good with rhymes." Violet replied.

Billie had tuned out of the conversation and was staring up ahead, where the demons had stopped. The blonde witch quickly schussed the others and leaned against the wall as much as possible, so the demons wouldn't notice her. The demon had stopped at what seemed like a doorway and their leader knocked on the blackened wooden door. A second later the door opened and a Power Broker dressed in a grey suit appeared. Billie listened closely and could just barely overhear their conversation.

"The auction was cancelled." The Power Broker said. "An offer has been made that you can't counter."

"This is an outrage." The demonic leader said. "I demand to speak to Arcon! That firestarter was mine."

"Acron is not available, he is closing the deal as we speak." The Broker replied.

"Well, tell him I can make him a better offer!" the leader said angrily.

"I highly doubt that." The Broker remarked. "I suggest you get lost, you don't want to start trouble with these buyers. Pretty soon we will all be answering to them."

"I bow to no one." The leader replied. "No one can match the power of the Triad, the old guard is gone. It's every demon for himself now."

"You're a fool." The Broker spewed. "You don't know who you're messing with. Now I suggest you leave before you're overheard."

"How dare you?" The demonic leader shouted.

The leader of the group of demons raised his hand and summoned an energy ball, throwing it at the Power Broker. The suited demon raised his hand unimpressed and deflected the energy ball back the demonic leader, who screamed in agony as he was vanquished by his own attack. His followers responded in surprise and anger.

"I'd think carefully before making a move." The Power Broker warned them. "Your leader was a fool, get lost and we'll forget this every happened."

The group of demons exchanged looks and shrugged. They then disappeared in a shimmer. The power broker smirked and slammed the large wooden door shut. Billie thought about what she had heard. Someone powerful was interested in Tyler, someone even the Power brokers were afraid off. With all the major powers in the Underworld gone, what could be so threatening?

"Now what?" Duncan asked.

"Now we get in there. You heard what they said, they're about to close the deal." Billie said. "If we wait any longer, Tyler will be dead."

"Do you have a plan?" Violet asked.

"Not really." Billie said. "Can I have an athame?"

Duncan held out his hand and an athame appeared in an orange glow. Billie took the blade from him and stuck in her jeans behind her back. She then walked to the door and knocked. She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew time was running out. She wasn't about to lose another firestarter to evil. She heard Duncan and Violet protest behind her, but it was too late, she had already knocked. The door opened and the same suited Power Broker appeared.

"Hi, I'm here for the auction." Billie said casually.

"The auction is over, the merchandise was sold." The Broker replied.

"Oh, I'm not here to buy." Billie lied. "I'm here to sell."

"Sell what?" The Broker replied.

"Witches." Billie said as she nodded her head back at Duncan and Violet. "I picked up these two snooping around, guess a few Magic School students got lost on a field trip. I figured I could get a good price for them."

Billie hoped that the other would catch on in time, since they only had one shot at this. "They're kind of struggling though, I could use some help to get them inside." She said.

The Power Broker looked at the others as if he was trying to figure out how much they were worth. Billie felt her hand twitch as she put in behind her back and wrapped it around the athame. She hoped the bought the act.

"Alright." The Broker said. "We can discuss a price inside."

The Power Broker snapped his fingers and two more appeared behind Duncan and Violet, grabbing them by the arms. Billie subtly nodded at Duncan, who nodded back. Then, Billie grabbed the athame and spun around, stabbing the Power broker in the stomach. At the same time, Duncan reached into his pocket and threw two vanquishing potions at the other two. All three Power Brokers screamed as they were vanquished in a fiery explosion.

"Are you crazy!" Violet yelled in a squeaky voice. "How about a little warning?"

"Not now, we got all the guards at the door, but there will be more." Billie said. "We have to hurry. Duncan, how much potions do we have left?"

"Two, but I don't think these will work on Arcon and whoever this buyer is." Duncan replied.

"I think I know how to deal with that." Billie said. "The Elders want Arcon out of the way, but Tyler is the priority. If we can get him first, we use the potions to get out."

"Okay." Duncan said nodding.

"Vi, are you up for this?" Billie asked as she turned to the redheaded witch.

"I don't know, but I'll try." Violet replied doubtfully.

"You'll be fine." Billie assured her. "Let's do this."

The three young witches made their way through the blacked wooden door and looked around. They found themselves in a large cavern, which was empty. Billie quickly scanned the room and noticed a passage way on the other side, where a torch was burning. Billie signaled the others and pointed at the passage.

They quickly ran across the cavern, but when they nearly reached the passage another Power Broker appeared. Billie quickly used her telekinesis to enhance her agility and jumped up, kicking the demon in the face. The demon slammed against the rocky wall and was vanquished by her athame before he could make a sound. Then Billie suddenly noticed a second Broker running toward her, but she was too late.

Suddenly the Power Broker stopped and stared down at his chest in shock. Billie noticed two arrows sticking out of his chest. The demon fell down and evaporated and Billie turned around. Behind her, Duncan was standing with a conjured crossbow aimed at the demon. The crossbow reminded her of a Darklighter weapon, only lighter.

"I didn't know you could do that." Billie said surprised.

"Up until joining the Chosen I couldn't." Duncan replied. "Mikelle was right, our powers are becoming stronger."

"Well, why can't I get a power to defend myself?" Violet remarked.

"Here, you take the potions." Duncan said as he handed over the vanquishing potions. "We need to hurry, more may be coming."

Billie nodded and led the others further down the passage. As they ran, an alarm suddenly sounded, which appeared to be coming from everywhere. Billie and the others quickly took cover and waited. Not a few moments later, a small army of demons ran past them while they remained unnoticed. When the demons had passed, they quickly continued their way.

Xxx

Arcon stepped into his private cavern, which was decorated with designer furniture, and poured himself a drink while loosening his tie. He never understood why his fellow demons were satisfied living in this dirty underground hole. He hated it, which was why he preferred the surface world. When this deal with the Brotherhood was finished, he'd make sure to get a foothold on the surface.

Arcon was about to sit down when the alarm suddenly began. Intruders had entered his lair. He knew the witches wouldn't give up on the boy easily, but neither would he. He put his drink away and got up. His demons were probably rushing to find the intruders, but Arcon knew where they were heading, which was where he would kill them. Nothing would stand in his way to seal this deal, especially not witches.

Xxx

As they walked down the passage, Billie suddenly noticed a door with metal bars, like a prison, and knew she had found what she was looking for. As she walked to the door, she flung her arm and telekinetically slammed the door open. As soon as she got in the prison cell, she saw Tyler sitting on the floor, chained against the wall.

"Barricade the door." Billie said to the others.

She then walked over to Tyler and kneeled down at his side.

"Tyler, are you okay?" Billie asked. "My name is Billie, remember? I'm a friend of Paige."

"I know." Tyler said. "Hurry, you have to get these chains off. They can be here any minute."

Billie picked up the chains and studied them, trying to find a weak spot. It then hit her that seeing Tyler chained up in this cave made her think back of Christy. She had spent her entire youth in a cave like this. At least when the Triad wasn't training her to kill the Charmed Ones. Billie quickly pushed the thoughts out of her mind, there was no time to think about Christy right now.

"Let me try something, cover your head." Billie said.

Billie stood up and waited as Tyler wrapped his hands around his head for cover. Meanwhile she noticed Duncan and Violet were doing their best to close the door. She then focused on the point where the chains were stuck in the wall and flung her arm.

The chains suddenly broke free from the stone wall, which caused some of the wall to fall apart and surround them with dust. With the chains broken free, their magic suddenly seemed to be broken and they released Tyler. Billie held out her hand and helped the teenager up. Duncan and Violet then joined them to help.

"Can you stand?" Billie asked.

"Yeah, pretty much everything hurts, but it's better than dying." Tyler said.

"Okay, we need to get out of here." Billie said.

However, before any on them could move, a column of smoke suddenly rose up from the ground and took the shape of Arcon. The demon smirked as he inspected the cave and was clearly unimpressed.

"You're so predictable." Arcon said.

Before anyone responded, Violet suddenly yelled and threw the last remaining vanquishing potions at Arcon, who raised his hand and froze them in a cloud of ice before they reached him. The frozen bottles shattered on the floor.

"Like I said, predictable." Arcon repeated. "Now I believe you have something that is mine. Hand it over, and I'll consider letting some of you live."

"Screw you, you don't own him." Billie replied.

"Let's get out of here." Duncan whispered.

"There is no getting out." Arcon replied. "This room is protected, only demons can teleport here. You really think I'd give my bounties any chance to escape?"

"Well, then we'll just have to vanquish you first."

"Give me your best shot." Arcon said. "Those were your last potions, weren't they?"

Beside Billie, Duncan raised is crossbow, but before he could aim, Arcon gestured his hand and the crossbow became covered in a layer of ice. Duncan quickly dropped it and it shattered on the floor. Billie quickly moved and charged at Arcon, but the demon raised both hands and Billie felt a cold wind as a stream of ice headed toward her.

Xxx

Next chapter will be the last, please review.


	7. Chapter 7

Chosen Chapter 2: The Firestarter 7

Xxx

Worried and impatiently, Paige was pacing the floor of the apartment waiting for news, dressed in a long fluffy robe. Meanwhile Henry had fallen asleep on the couch. When she had faced Arcon, the demon had nearly frozen her to death with his ice powers and kidnapped Tyler.

Even though Mikelle had healed her, she needed to take it slow and recover like any person that had been hypothermic, which was why Henry had told her to take a hot shower. Paige had initially refused, since she couldn't even think about herself and her own health while Tyler's life was still in danger. Henry had then picked her up and pretty much forced her under the shower, telling her that she wouldn't be able to help him like this when he got back.

After her shower, she and Henry had an important talk. When Paige had found Tyler in that homeless shelter, all she wanted to do what take him in and keep him safe. When she had first told Henry her plan, he had been reluctant, since he didn't quite know how to deal with more magic in his life. However, when she got out of the shower, he had seemingly changed his mind and agreed to take Tyler in as a foster kid, telling her that magic shouldn't matter. Both of them agreed that Tyler needed a stable and safe home, a family for the first time in his life. All he needed to do now was come home safely.

"Come on, Billie." Paige whispered hopefully.

Xxx

When Billie felt the cold rushing toward her, she quickly raised her hands and called upon her powers. With her telekinesis, she was able to stop the powerful stream of ice directed at her just a few inches in front of her. She felt the chill running down her arms and back, but held on. She then pushed the stream to her side.

"Impressive." Arcon said with a smile.

"Not as impressive as this." Billie said as she flung her arm.

Arcon was caught off guard and was telekinetically thrown back against the wall. Billie quickly got up and walked toward the others.

"Let's move." Billie said.

The three witches and Tyler ran toward the door, but before they could open it, the door became covered in a thick layer of ice. Behind them, Arcon had gotten up and walked toward them.

"You're not getting away with my merchandise." Arcon said. "The Firestarter was sold, and I always deliver my end of a bargain."

"Shut up! You don't own me." Tyler yelled and raised his hands toward his temples.

Suddenly, Arcon caught on fire, but he did not seem impressed or hurt by the flames. He stumbled back a little while trying to put out the fire with his ice powers, however, Tyler kept channeling his power into the fire. When Arcon realized he couldn't get the fire out, he started to panic slightly and screamed angrily.

"Great work, Tyler." Billie said. "Try holding him as long as possible."

"That won't hold him for long." Duncan said.

"What do we do?" Violet asked.

"We need a spell." Billie said. "We need to channel all our power into the collective and vanquish him for good."

"I can't keep this up much longer." Tyler warned them.

Billie closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to find the right words. She thought back to the lessons the Charmed Ones had taught her about magic. Phoebe was always the best at creating spells. She made it seem too simple. Suddenly Billie realized what she had to do. The spell didn't need to be long or complicated. It needed to be pure and simple, calling on their collective power. Billie then started chanting the spell she had in mind:

"_The Chosen call, collective power_

_Vanquish this evil within this hour."_

She looked at the others and nodded before repeating the chant. Duncan and Violet joined in and together, they could feel their collective power for the first time. It felt like a surge of energy rushing through them. Three times they repeated the chant.

"_The Chosen call collective power_

_Vanquish this evil within this hour._

_The Chosen call collective power_

_Vanquish this evil within this hour._

_The Chosen call collective power_

_Vanquish this evil within this hour."_

Meanwhile Tyler dropped to the floor exhausted and the flames around Arcon disappeared. The demon quickly fired a stream of ice at the Chosen, but his power was blocked by an invisible force. Suddenly a pure white light appeared on Arcon's chest, burning brightly. The demonic power broker screamed out in pain as the light spread across his body, until he eventually exploded in a flash of white light. Pieces of ice shattered on the floor as he was vanquished.

"We did it." Violet said with a mixture of shock and excitement.

"I know." Duncan said stunned. "It worked."

Meanwhile Billie kneeled down and helped Tyler back up. Apparently using his powers like that still drained him of his energy.

"Are you okay?" Billie asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Tyler said. "You saved my life. I don't know how to thank you. You all risked your life for me."

"You don't need to thank us." Billie said. "It's kind of what we do."

"That's amazing." Tyler said. "I was always afraid of my powers and never wanted them. But you help yours to save people."

"Maybe you can do the same one day." Billie replied.

"Yeah..." Tyler said thinking it over.

"How about we get out of here now?" Duncan interrupted. "Arcon is gone, but his demons might still come after us."

"I doubt it, with their leader gone; none of them are willing to take the risk." Billie said. "It's every demon for himself now."

"Then let's go home. The teleportation potions should work now that Arcon is gone." Duncan said.

"I agree, I think I've seen enough of the Underworld on my first visit." Violet added.

"Alright, I'm sure Paige is waiting for us as we speak." Billie said.

"Paige!" Tyler suddenly said. "is she alright? Is she not hurt?"

"She's okay." Billie assured him. "We were able to heal her just in time. She'll be fine."

"Thank god." Tyler said with a sigh of relief.

"Let's go." Billie said. "Just think about Paige's apartment and throw the potion."

Billie reached into her pocket for a potion and noticed the others doing the same. She then took Tyler's hand and closed her eyes, focusing on Paige's apartment. Then, all three of them threw down the potions and disappeared from the underworld in a swirl of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Klea appeared in a red shimmer and looked at the pieces of ice that were once Arcon. With a disappointed smirk, she stepped on a piece, shattering it under her heel, before shimmering away.

Xxx

Paige woke up when Henry gently tapped her on the shoulder. She was lying on the couch, with her husband sitting next to her. She quickly sat up, realizing that she had somehow fallen asleep, and felt ashamed. How could she sleep when Tyler's life was in danger?

"It's okay, Paige." Henry said as if he could read her mind. "You were exhausted and you need rest to recover. There is nothing you could have done."

"Have you heard anything?" Paige asked.

"Not yet." Henry replied.

"This is taking too long." Paige said as she got up and started pacing again. "Something must have gone wrong."

Before Henry could respond, three columns of smoke suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. Paige looked up and saw the columns taking the shape of Billie, Duncan, Violet and finally Tyler. The moment she saw the young firestarter, she broke down and ran over to him in tears. Before anyone could react, Paige had Tyler stuck in a tight embrace.

"Paige, I'm fine. I can't breathe." Tyler finally managed to say.

"I'm sorry." Paige quickly said as she let him go and wiped her tears. "I' just glad you're safe. I knew you guys could do it, thank you."

"No problem." Billie said with a smile.

"This whole thing is finally over." Paige said.

"The demon part." Tyler said. "I have no idea what will happen now. I'm still wanted for arson, and basically homeless."

"We can take care of that." Henry said as he got up and walked toward Tyler. He held out his hand. "I'm Henry, Paige's husband."

"I'm Tyler." Tyler replied as he shook his hand. "What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all the arson thing is not a problem." Henry said. "I'm a parole officer and I got some people that owe me a favor down at the station. I'll have those charges dropped in no time."

"Are you kidding me? That would be awesome." Tyler said.

"That's not all." Paige said.

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked.

"Henry and I have been talking." Paige said as she and Henry exchanged looks. "We both know what foster care is like and we know what you've been through. When we got married, we signed up to be foster parents, though we never heard anything back. We want you to come live with us, Tyler."

"Are you serious?" Tyler asked shocked.

"Yes, we are." Henry said. "We want you to have a home, here, with us. Plus there is nobody else out that that can help you with your magic the way Paige can."

"What about you? You don't even know me." Tyler replied.

"You're right, I don't know you yet, but I know Paige, and I know that she cares about you a lot." Henry said. "And anyone that is that important to Paige, is just as important to me."

"I don't know what to say." Tyler said, clearly overwhelmed.

"You don't have to answer right now." Paige assured him. "You're exhausted and you might need to think about it. We got time."

"No, that's not what I mean." Tyler replied hesitantly. "I mean… Are you sure you want this?"

"Absolutely." Paige said. "I knew from the moment I saw you in that shelter. You belong here."

"She's right." Henry added with a nod.

"Then I would love to." Tyler said with a little smile. "I never had the feeling I belonged anywhere, until I met you and your sisters, Paige. That was the first time I ever felt like I was home."

Paige hugged Tyler and felt a wave of relief coming over her. Now, it was truly over. Tyler was safe and she and Henry could finally provide him with a home. Everything was okay now. As she hugged Tyler she looked at Billie and the others and quietly thanked them. If not for them, none of this would have happened.

"So where am I going to sleep?" Tyler eventually asked. "Because I am really tired."

"We got a spare bedroom. It's not that big and it needs some paint, but we'll take care of that later." Henry said with a smile. "Come on, I'll show you."

Henry placed a hand and Tyler's shoulder and guided him toward the guest room. Meanwhile, Paige turned to the others.

"Did you vanquish Arcon?" Paige asked.

"Oh yes, he's gone." Billie said.

"I don' know how to thank you." Paige said.

"Paige, come on. We're friends." Billie said. "You don't need to thank us."

"She's right. We were just happy to help." Duncan added.

"Actually, we should really get going." Billie said. "It's pretty late and we've got some stuff we need to settle."

Paige knew what Billie was referring to. She still needed to tell the others about her past. It wasn't going to be easy, but they would understand. It was all in the past. She walked over to Billie and hugged her.

"I know it will be difficult, but you will be fine." Paige whispered. "Remember that we all forgave you, and that you have made up for your mistakes. You're a good person, Billie, and a good friend."

"Thank you, Paige." Billie said.

"Do you need a lift to your dorms?" Paige asked. "I think we can forget about personal gain for tonight."

The three young witches nodded and Paige waved her hand, sending them all back to Billie's dorm room in a swirl of orbs. When she turned around, she saw Henry coming out of the bedroom.

"He went to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The kid was exhausted." Henry said.

"I love you, you know that?" Paige said as she walked toward him.

"I do, and I love you too." Henry replied as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

xxx

Back in the guest bedroom, Tyler opened his eyes and turned around, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't believe all that had happened. He realized that for the first time in his life, he truly felt safe and at home right now. He was so grateful to Paige and Henry for letting him stay, that he had completely forgotten how angry he was with Paige at first. Now he knew she never meant to leave him, and that she would never do that. Finally at home, Tyler quickly fell asleep.

Xxx

When the orbs settled, Billie, Duncan and Violet all stood in Billie's dorm room. Billie knew that the moment had finally come where she needed to tell the others about the things she had done in the past. She was confident that they would understand, but it was still a difficult subject to bring up or even think about. However, it needed to be done. She turned to the others and braced herself.

"I know I owe you an explanation." Billie said. "I will finally tell you the truth."

"Are you sure?" Duncan asked.

"Billie, we know that it's something difficult." Violet said. "We understand if you don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry we pushed it before. We do trust you."

"Vi is right." Duncan said. "We're friends, and we trust you, so if you don't want to tell us we understand."

"I thought you wanted to know." Billie said.

"So did we." Violet said as she exchanged looks with Duncan. "But I guess we realized that it doesn't really matter, because we will still be your friends no matter what."

"No matter what horrible things you might have done." Duncan said jokingly.

Billie truly didn't know what to say. She always imagined this to be the most difficult conversation she'd ever had to have, but her friends were unbelievably understanding. They trusted her, just like Paige and her sisters trusted her, so she needed to trust them too. She realized that she wanted to tell them everything.

"Thanks, you guys." Billie said. "But this is still something that I want to share with you."

"Okay." Violet and Duncan said almost instantaneously.

Billie said down on her bed and relaxed while the other also sat down. She took one last deep breath before she started telling them about her past, starting with the very night that Christy got kidnapped as a little girl. No matter what, she knew her friends would accept her.

Xxx

The End


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